Accessing the Creative Economy: USDA Opportunities

Transcription

1 Rural Community Economic Development Conference Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Accessing the Creative Economy: USDA Opportunities Peoria, IL March 5, 2015 Chris Beck, Senior Projects Advisor, USDA Rural Development. Contact:

2 First, a story

3 Timber Towns

4 Endangered species and global efficiency came

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6 Our conversation today Look at variety of ways arts and culture is being woven into rural economic strategy Consider ways USDA (and other feds) can help. Examples: Renewable energy Local food systems Community cultural facilities Business loans and grants Mains street focus Basic infrastructure needs Regional strategies Performance/festivals Partners, e.g. community foundations Public engagement

7 USDA Rural Development Partners to help rural communities and small towns. America s rural infrastructure bank the World Bank for Rural America: USDA loans of approx. $30 Billion/year for infrastructure. Some small pots of grant$ Affordable housing Broadband installation Electricity Clean water drinking and waste Community and civic buildings (incl education/libraries/hospitals and culture-related) Business loans (could be culture related) Renewable energy (incl bio fuels and small-scale energy-efficiency ) Capacity building for economic and community strategy BEST THING FOR YOU TO DO: Contact Rural Development State Offices.

8 Why should rural America (and USDA) care about supporting arts and culture projects?

9 Because. 21 st Century people are not going to stay in, or move to, places that are unattractive and where there are few cultural activities. The new industry is not coming to most rural places, so it is time to get smart about new strategies. The arts and improving the look and functioning of our places (e.g. main streets) should be part of that. Placemaking is an essential component of community economic development going forward.

10 Examples Raton, NM solar panels on historic theater are reducing energy costs (USDA Rural Energy for America) Lake Village, Arkansas loans to renovate a dilapidated Nat l Register building into town hall on Main Street (USDA Community Facilities Grant and Loan) Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Economic development capacity grant, including downtown revitalization strategy. (Rural Community Development Initiative grant) Ajo, Arizona. Multiple federal and USDA grants to SW Virginia Crooked Road regional development strategy aimed at supporting cultural economy funded jointly by USDA, Appalachian Regional Commission, and Economic Development Admin (Dept of Commerce). Des Moines Social Club, Iowa and regional strategy. TBD.

11 Raton, New Mexico--Theater Renewable energy grant for solar panels to reduce energy costs at local theater. $20k grant toward $80k total project cost Renewable Energy for America program $72% of site s energy

12 Lake Village Arkansas Renovation of historic building on Main Street for City Hall. $600k USDA Community Facilities loan and $250k grant, + other sources of local funding. Consolidating city departments and revitalizing main street.

13 Wisconsin Rapids, WI InCourage Foundation Regional economic development strategy centered on downtown revitalization (Rural Community Dev Initiative grant--$150k) Community Foundation leadership. ArtPlace foundations grant ($400k) to restore and program former newspaper headquarters.

14 Ajo, Arizona Town center revitalization project. Multiple federal and private funding sources: HUD, USDOT, NEA HHS, foundations USDA Community Facilities, Rural Business Enterprise Grant, Community Food Project, Farmers Market Grant, Local Foods Local Places tech assist, Food Nutrition Service (Hunger Free Communities)

15 SW Virginia Crooked Road Heritage Trail Cultural Tourism regional economic development strategy. Program: Rural Jobs Accelerator (Funds from Economic Development Admin, Appalachian Regional Commission, and USDA s Rural Community Development Initiative). $900k for three years, but one time federal initiative, unfortunately ArtPlace foundations grant ($160k) to support downtowns through Performing Art Networking. New River Valley Planning District HUD funded ($1 million) regional plan included theater students to conduct public engagement through story telling.

16 Des Moines Social Club Converted art deco fire station to social gathering space. (no USDA funds) Exploring partnering with rural communities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and in discussion with USDA for assistance.

17 Two key partners: Nat l Endowment for the Arts and ArtPlace NEA s Our Town Program ($5 m/yr) small grants focused on initial steps of a creative placemaking project. Some rural. Fabulous website: ArtPlace consortium of national and regional foundations. Larger investments ($15m/yr to grantees), including some rural. Focused on Creative Placemaking projects that create vibrance on the street Built environment sometimes emphasized Projects that may change the game in a neighborhood or town In Rural: Promotes vibrant old Main Streets, promotes farmland protection, enhances cultural economy Potential for leveraging federal investment At USDA Rural development financing for community facilities (e.g. community centers, museums, etc), water systems, telecom, small business, etc.

18 ArtPlace New partnership opportunity for philanthropy and federal gov t National consortium of foundations Since grants to 124 organizations in 79 communities--$42 million. Focused on Creative Placemaking o o o o projects that create vibrance on the street Built environment sometimes emphasized Projects that may change the game in a neighborhood or town In Rural: Promotes vibrant old Main Streets, promotes farmland protection, enhances cultural economy Potential for leveraging federal investment At USDA Rural development financing for community facilities (e.g. community centers, museums, etc), water systems, telecom, small business, etc.

19 Paradise Garden (folk artist, Howard Finster site) Summerville, Georgia $445k grant to assist with restoration of Finster s home and studio Opportunities for USDA financing for wastewater, possibly business loans to businesses in Summerville

20 Artsipelego --Tides Institute and Museum Eastport, Maine $250k to renovate key historic building in heart of town and working to build StudioWorks facility complete with printmaking, letterpress, and digital equipment and technologies on the ground floor with its big storefront windows. It looks right out to the downtown and waterfront, out to Passamaquoddy Bay and to Canada. We ll develop housing on the second floor of this facility and develop a new year round visiting artist residency program. USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant ($50k) provided add l funds to complete the project.

21 Sitka Arts Campus Sitka, Alaska $350k grant to renovate historic buildings on an old college campus for arts learning programming. Longtime USDA investments in college facilities.

22 $ 600k to support large artists housing in central downtown Minot. USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant ($99k) for ground floor tenant, native arts nonprofit. Magic City Lofts--ArtSpace Minot, North Dakota

23 Wilson, NC, folk artist Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park USDA business grant to assist with Site improvements as part of downtown revitalization strategy.

24 Sauk County, Wisconsin--Wormfarm D Tour $100k/$75k to support Wormfarm s newly created annual Fermentation Fest and Road D Tour. Mixes temporal art projects into farm landscape for 10 days in Autumn, promoting local foods, farmland protection, and rural economic development

25 Other ways federal gov t can help NEA s OurTown, NEA s Citizen s Institute for Rural Design Nat l Endowment for the Humanities Appalachian Regional Commission Delta Regional Authority Dept of Commerce--Economic Development Administration (regional cluster strategies) National Park Service/Historic Preservation And just building sustained dialogue with passionate and able federal staff whenever you find them.

26 A few stray ideas Always think regional, join arms with neighbors in other towns and counties. If rural is to thrive we absolutely have to be smart about this. Sometimes, however, focus on one street or block, but get everyone on that block involved. And help the region understand the value of that block to the region. NOT Build it and they will come. Repeat NOT. Yes, build it. But do a whole bunch of other things (e.g. planning, zoning, tax incentives, federal $, etc) around a FOCUSED and INTEGRATED strategy. And explore ways your project connects with urban popn, too. Find urban partners if you can. How can you bring aspects of your project to the city? Involve local foundations. Get their advice early. Help them figure out how your project helps build their long-term capacity. Let your local and federal leaders (and their staff!) know what you are up to. Make it interesting to them. Give them public praise when they have been supportive. And help them figure out how their leadership around your project can scale to better statewide and national cultural policy. Explicitly ask your supporters (e.g. foundations) to set aside $ to support this (above) aspect of your work, if they truly want to help you, and all of us, move the needle.

27 ArtPlace and Creative Placemaking: Key weblinks ArtPlace (general) National Endowment for the Arts Research Article: The rural growth trifecta: outdoor amenities, creative class and entrepreneurial context usdaarsfacpub BEST THING FOR YOU TO DO: Contact Rural Development State Offices.